Method of loading and transporting watermelons



March 29, 1938. I 1.. .v. FRANCIS ET AL 2,112,485 I METHOD OF LOADINGAND TRANSPORTING WATERMELONS Original Filed June ll, 1936 f a 3 nnentors(Ittorueg Patented Mar. 29, 1938 NETED sr oFFlCE ME'rnon or Lemma ANDramsron'rma warannaaons Lester V. Francis, North Kansas City, and.ioseil H. Grafues,

@ity, Mo.

Serial No. 156.5%)

6 Claims. (Cl. Hi -152) Our invention relates to improvements in methodsof loading and transporting watermelons.

This application is a continuation of an application filed by us June11, 1936, Serial Number 84,650, and is a continuation in part of anapplication filed by us May 11, 1933, Serial Number 670,420.

One of the objects of our invention is the provision of a novel methodof loading watermelons in a car by which the melons may be transportedand subjected to the jarring, by sudden starting and stopping of thecar, without liability of the melons being bruised or otherwise damaged,and which enables the quick and easy loading of the melons in the car.

The novel features of our invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing illustrative of our improved method,

Fig. 1 is an end view of a first tier of melons as loaded at the end ofa car, a portion of the car body being shown in vertical section, and apad shown in end elevation lying against one side of the tier inposition for the loading 01. the next tier.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the melons as arranged in Fig. 1, the pad beingremoved and the car body broken away and shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing another tier of melons addedto the first end tier, and another pad disposed in position for loadingthe melons of the next succeeding tier.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the two tiers of melonsarranged as in Fig. 3, the second pad being removed.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, showing how a melon of a rowis disposed with relation to the melons in the rows next below.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of 8. tier of melons.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the differentviews.

I designates the floor, 2 an end wall, and 3 a side wall of the body ofa freight car of usual type;

In loading the melons, a transverse layer 4 of melons is laid on thefloor along side the end wall 2 against a pad 5 disposed verticallyagainst the end wall,'a layer of straw 6 being disposed between thefirst melon of the row and the adjacent 50 side wall 3, the melons beingdisposed with their lengths longitudinally of the car.

Then a second row is laid on the floor, I with the melons 1 respectivelyend to end and longitudinally aligned with the melons 4,. A third row ofmelons 8 is then laid with the me ons in staggered relation to themelons i and 5, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, and overlapping midway themelons t and l.

A fourth row of melons 9 is then laid crosswise with the melons 9resting on the melons 4.

A fifth row of melons It is then laid with the melons on top of and instaggered. relation to the melons 8 and overlapping the latter and thecrosswise melons 9.

The five rows of melons 4, l, 8, 9 and I0 form 1 a. transverse tier atthe adjacent end of the car.

A pad or padding H is then disposed transversely of the car, as shown inFig. 1, against the ends 01 the melons l, 8 and I0, following whichanother tier is started by laying a transverse row of melons 15 E2 onthe floor I with their left ends abutting against the padding II, andlongitudinally alined with the melons 4 and 1.

Another row of melons I3 is then laid with the melons in staggeredrelation to and midway overlapping the melons l2 and resting on thepadding II which is folded over and rests on the upper sides of themelons I, Fig. 3, the melons l3 also midway overlapping the melons 1.

Another row of melons I4 is then laid with the melons l4 resting on themelons It in staggered relation thereto.

The melons l4 also rest on the padding H which rests on the upper sidesof the melons 8, the latter being overlapped midway substantially by themelons M, the left ends of the latter, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4holding the padding ll against the adjacent ends of the melons III. Thiscompletes the second transverse tier against the right side of which isdisposed another padding or pad l5, following which another tier ofmelons is laid in'the manner corresponding to the laying of the nextpreceding tier.

The car is thus loaded until the side doors,

' not shown, of the car are reached, after which the 40 loading may bestarted at the other end of the car and proceeded with as has beendescribed until the doorways are reached, following which the spacebetween the doorways may be loaded in like manner, padding correspondingto the pads or padding 5, H and I5 being respectively inserted, as theloading progresses between the difierent transverse tiers and betweenthe right end of the car and the adjacent tier.

The pads 5, II and i5 are flexible and of substantial thickness andsoftness, and each is preferably composed of a burlap casing filled withsoft cushioning material, as wood wool, asbestos fiber, cotton or othersuitable soft material. The casing may be waterprooied, if desired.

By disposing the melons of each row above the bottom row of a tier instaggered relation to the melons in the row next below and overlappingmidway the melons of such row and those in the tier next adjacentthereto, the melons interlock with each other, which prevents relativeshifting of contacting melons. By inclining the tiers, as shown, andinserting the padding between ad-.

jacent tiers in contact with the melons thereof,

the padding midway overlaps the melons in both of the under rows of eachtier, thus afiording a soft cushion support for the melons above andprotecting the melons below it, so that the shoulders of the melons soprotected are not liable to damage.

The disposition of the melons of rows in the same horizontal plane inlongitudinal alinement respectively with each other, and by having themelons in each row of a tier above the bottom row of the tier resting onthe melons next below in the tier and overlapping midway such melons andthose in the row below in the next tier, and disposing the paddingbetween the tiers and spread upon the upper sides of the melons in therows below the top row, not alone protects the melons from damage, butitserves to firmly retain the padding in its proper operative position andprevents the melons from relative shifting with respect to each other.

It also serves to protect the melons from injury due to vertical shocks.

It will be understood that when the melons are laid in transverse rows,the rows are extended to near the opposite side of the car from that atwhich the laying started, straw or other suit-.

able filling material being inserted between the said opposite side ofthe car and the adjacent melons. If desired the bottom rows of melonsmay be laid upon straw or other soft material spread upon the floor ofthe car. The melons are thus protected upon all sides except from above,from contact with any hard material, and the inserted padding, arrangedas has been described,

prevents damage by any bodily shifting of the load. Such padding may beof any suitable material and form so long as it is flexible and is ofsubstantial softness and thickness.

Modification of our invention, within the scope of the appended claims,may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

What we claim is:

1. The method of loading melons in a car consisting in disposing themelons in transverse rows in the car and in tiers one row above theother, the melons of rows in the same horizontal plane beinglongitudinally alined respectively with each other, the melons in eachrow above the bottom row of a tier being in staggered relation to andresting on the melons in the row next below and respectively overlappingand being supported by melons in a row next below and in one of the nexttiers, and inserting sheets of flexible cushioning padding ofsubstantial thickness and softness between adjacent tiers respectivelyin contact with the melons therein, each of said sheets extending frombetween the melons of the bottom row upwardly between all of the rows ofthe two adjacent tiers.

2. The method of loading watermelons in a. car consisting in disposingthe melons in transverse rows in the car and in tiers one row above theother, the melons of rows in the same horizontal plane beinglongitudinally alined respectively with each other, the melons in eachrow above the bottom row of a tier being in staggered relation to andresting on the melons in the row next below and respectively overlappingand. be-

' ing supported by melons in a row next below in one of the next tiers,and inserting sheets of flexible cushioning padding of substantialthickness and softness between'adjacent tiers respectively in contactwith the melons therein and contacting with the under sides of the saidoverlapping melons and with the-upper sides of said overlapping melons,each of said sheets extending from between the melons of the bottom rowupwardly between all of the rows of the two adjacent tiers.

3. The method of loading watermelons in a car, consisting in disposingmelons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverseto the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposedlengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row,resting on the melons next below, similarly forming another tier ofmelons adjacent to and parallel with the first tier, the melons in eachrow of each tier respectively longitudinally alining with the melons inthe corresponding row of the other tier, and disposing cushioningpadding of substantial softness and thickness between and contactingwith the adjacent ends of the melons in the two tiers.

4. The method of loading watermelons in a I car, consisting in disposingmelons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverseto the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposedlengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row,being in staggered relation to and resting on and between the melonsnext below similarly forming another tier of melons adjacent to andparallel with the first tier, the melons in each row of each tierrespectively longitudinally alining with the melons in thecorresponding-row of the other tier, and disposing cushioning padding ofsubstantial softness and thickness between and contacting with theadjacent ends of the melons in the two tiers.

5. The method of loading watermelons in a car, consisting in disposingmelons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverseto the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposedlengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row,being in staggered relation to and supported by and between andprojecting beyond the melons next below, similarly forming another tierof melons adjacent to and parallel with the first tier, the melons ineach row of each tier respectively alining with the melons in thecorresponding row of the other tier, the projecting melons in the secondtier being in staggered relation to and overlapping and supported by andbetween the melons next below in the first tier, and disposingcushioning padding of substantial softness and thickness between andcontacting with the adjacent ends of the melons in the two tiers.

6. The method of loading watermelons in a car, consisting in disposingmelons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverseto the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposedlengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row,being in staggered relation to and supported by and between andprojecting beyond the melons next below, similarly forming another tierof melons adjacent to and parallel with the first tier, the melons ineach row of each tier respecthe adjacent ends of the melons in the twotiers, and between and contacting with the projecting melons in one tierand the overlapped melons next below in the other tier.

LESTER V. FRANCIS. JOSEF H. GRAFUES.

